Up to 7,000 rabid anti-Israel protesters storm NYC on Labor Day, light flares and set off smoke bombs
Up to 7,000 unruly anti-Israeli protesters — including some proudly waving Hamas flags — stormed through the Big Apple on Labor Day, lighting flares and setting off smoke bombs as they marched toward the heart of the city.
The chaotic demonstrators gathered at Union Square in Manhattan in the early afternoon and began their raucous march to Washington Square Park.
Video footage shows NYPD officials attempting to halt the march, only to be shoved aside by a few of the demonstrators.
Blue and red flares filled the air with smoke as the group marched on.
The crowd, which law-enforcement sources said hit around 7,000 at one point, waved Hamas terrorist flags along with Palestinian, Syrian, Iranian and Hezbollah banners, chanting “Free Palestine!” and, “Resistance is justified when people are occupied.” Hezbollah is a Lebanese terror group that has been fighting with the Palestinians against Israel in the Gaza war.
One protester waved a traditional Muslim keffiyeh scarf to block a TV camera, while another called a news crew “a disgrace” to the US.
A counter-protester with an Israeli flag was berated by the crowd.
“Throw it away, and put that piece of s–t in the garbage,” an anti-Israel demonstrator yelled. “Say it loud, say it clear, we don’t want Zionists here!”
Others called the counter-protesters “baby-killers.”
A New Yorker who pedaled up on a Citi Bike tried to stand up to the anti-Israel mob — only to be booed and cursed out.
“I just think they’re wrong,” the man, who only wanted to be as identified as Bruce, told The Post. “I think that nobody is pushing back. You gotta push back respectfully. I think they’re misinformed.”
Four people were arrested, law-enforcement sources said.
The mass protest is just the latest show of disorder by anti-Israeli marchers since the Jewish state retaliated for the sneak attack on Israel by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7 — with protests spreading to college campuses in the city and throughout the nation.
The Post reported this weekend that the demonstrations are costing corporations across the globe billions of dollars.
Additional reporting by Larry Celona.
